Hawaiian Fried Chicken Burgers
If I could choose what my last meal on earth will be, I’d seriously consider it being fried chicken. A good fried chicken is crispy on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside and all over flavoursome. There are a few tips and tricks to get the succulent and juicy inside, that just can’t be skipped. Or else you end up with dry and bland chicken. And nobody wants that.
To get that juicy inside, the secret is dry brining the chicken. You do this a MINIMUM of 2 hours before cooking, but for best results, do it 24 hours before. What is dry brining? It’s salting your protein on the outside and letting it rest for the salt be absorbed. The salt will draw out moisture from inside your protein, it will then melt into the moisture and mix with it, and then get sucked back inside the protein. This perfectly seasons your protein from the inside out, and helps tenderise it at the same time. This is osmosis, you know the thing they taught us in school science. The more you know! I dry brine so many proteins that I cook with. The results you get are well worth the miniscule effort it takes.
To get that nice crispy crust on the outside of the chicken we use a mix of plain flour and cornflour. The cornflour is the key here. Cornflour has no gluten (or it shouldn’t anyway, check packets to confirm, some cheaper brands mix wheat flour in, which is a nightmare for coeliacs), which means it has no gluten, a protein known for the stretchiness and chewiness in it’s uses, such as bread. By using the cornflour, it will dredging will have less gluten in it, making the batter very “short” as it’s known, or crispy.
Sorry this post has gotten a little science-y and technical, but hey I think it’s interesting to know.
So you dry brine your chicken. Mix your dredge. Remove some dredge and mix with water to make a thin batter/marinade. Marinate the chicken in this for 30 mins. Coat the chicken well in the dredge mixture. Oil at 180°C/355°F. Fry for 4-6 minutes, until an internal temp reaches 66°C/150°F (the temp will rise to 70+ after removing from the oil). Assemble your burger!
I’ve made a little diagram to show you the layout of the burger I made, I hope it helps!
More of a beef burger fan? Try my Oklahoma Smash Burger!
Hawaiian Fried Chicken Burger
Equipment
- 1 large pot, preferably a Dutch oven for deep frying, or a deep fryer
- 2 large bowls
- 1 digital thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 burger buns
- tomatoes sliced
- lettuce
- 4 pineapple rings drained and dried on paper towel
- garlic aioli can sub with mayo
- 8 slices of streaky bacon
- 4 slices of cheese
- 4 large chicken thigh fillets skinless and boneless
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 litres high heat oil such as canola, vegetable, rice bran, peanut no extra virgin olive oil, it will burn
Fried Chicken Dredging
- â…” cup plain flour
- â…” cup cornflour/corn starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper fresh ground
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tbsp paprika not smoked
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
Instructions
- At least 2 hours but up to 24 hours (optimal)before cooking is to begin, place thigh fillets on a plate, season with 1 tsp salt all over. Cover and return to fridge for dry brining.
- Add all 'fried chicken dredging' ingredients to a large bowl and mix really well.
- To another large bowl, add 30 grams/1 oz of the mixed chicken dredging and 60 grams/2 oz of water, mix together to make a thin batter. Add your dry brined chicken to this mix and coat thoroughly. This isn't a thick batter, just a thin coating so that the dry dredging mix will stick later. Let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- While chicken is marinating, get ready all your other elements for the burgers. Cook your bacon. Caramelise your pineapple (either pan fry, BBQ or air fry until slightly charred at the edges). Cut up your lettuce, aioli on top and bottom buns. Slice your tomato. Have your cheese ready to go.
- Heat oil to 180℃/355℉ in your large pot or Dutch oven. Check with a digital thermometer.
- When oil is ready, taking one piece at at time, thoroughly coat your chicken in the dry dredging. Shake off any excess flour, and then gently lower into the hot oil. Repeat this step with all chicken. If your pot is small you may need to do this in batches to not overcrowd the pot. My large pot comfortably fit 4 large thighs.
- Cook for 4-6 minutes, and check that internal temperate of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 66℃/150℉ (the temperature will continue to rise even after it is removed from the oil). Remove to a paper towel lined plate and immediately place a piece of cheese over each piece of chicken to help it melt.
- Assemble burgers (see diagram for optimal stacking in my opinion). Enjoy!